Prior art workers have devised numerous types of drug control and dispensing apparatus for use in hospitals, nursing homes and the like to assure that a patient receives proper medication in proper doses at required times. For example, it is known to provide cardboard cartons to be filled by a pharmacist with medicine arranged in doses and to be sealed and labeled by the pharmacist. The cardboard cartons are adapted to be arranged in trays, each tray provided with a removable cover or lid. Each carton, when opened by the nurse or person in charge of dispensing the medicine, has a portion of its top removed to define a dispensing opening. The remainder of the top remains intact and contains the label from the pharmacist.
The present invention contemplates a series of cartons to be filled with medicines arranged in doses by the pharmacist. For example, the carton may contain a plurality of pills, capsules, caplets or the like, located in tamper-apparent unit dose cups arranged in severable strips. The cartons are labeled and sealed by the pharmacist. When the carton is to be opened by the person in charge of drug dispensing, this is accomplished by pull tab means. The entire carton top is open on one longitudinal side and both ends, the top being hinged at a fold line along the other longitudinal side of the carton. The top therefore is complete and is of the nature of a planar flap. An open top tray is provided to receive one or more of the cartons. The open top tray has an individual hinged lid for each carton located therein, the hinged lid overlying the carton top. Means are provided to releasably affix the carton top to its respective tray lid so that opening and closing of the tray lid will simultaneously open and close the carton top. The tray lid is preferably made of transparent material so that the labeling on the carton top can be read therethrough.
Such an assembly is characterized by a number of advantages. First of all, it provides control, convenience and ease of medication handling. It greatly reduces the chances of spilling or the inadvertent transfer of medication from one carton to another. The individual tray lids tend to maintain their respective carton tops in closed position. The entire carton top is available for labeling. Each carton may contain a reorder reminder slip. At the time of reorder, the label from the carton can be removed and relocated on an order form to the pharmacist. The assembly can constitute a high capacity dispensing system meeting all of the regulatory requirements. When an individual tray lid and its respective carton top is open, the dispensing opening of the carton is the full dimension of the carton.